The present invention relates to carriers for mounting portable dispensers (e.g. aerosol spray cans containing mosquito repellent) on a backpack, clothing belt or the like so that these dispensers can be conveniently transported and accessed outdoors.
Portable dispensers have been used to deliver a variety of chemicals to human skin and other surfaces to be treated. Among these chemicals are pest control materials (e.g. insect repellants such as DEET), perfumes, deodorants, and skin protectors (e.g. sunscreen). Many of these dispensers are typically stored in a home, and then applied in the home shortly before one goes outdoors (with the dispenser then being left in the home between applications). However, during some outdoor activities (e.g. hiking, camping, sailing) it is desirable to apply/reapply certain of these chemicals.
Carrying conventional dispensers outdoors can sometimes be problematic. Simply placing such a dispenser in a backpack makes accessing the dispenser outdoors more complex, and raises the possibility that the dispenser may leak onto other items in the backpack.
Carrying such a dispenser on a separate hanger attached to a belt or a backpack creates design complexity. For example, one prefers (using a relatively lightweight assembly) to provide ready access to the dispenser, protect against inadvertent spraying, and provide a secure attachment between the dispenser and mounting system. Also, it is preferred that the carrying system for a container have a useful life that is not limited to the useful life of the container (to avoid the waste and reduce cost).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,167 disclosed an assembly for carrying an aerosol can by attaching it to a cap having an arch shaped loop hanger. However, the connection of the cap to the can was not sufficiently secure for some outdoor applications.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,357,912 and 6,769,563 taught caps mountable on an aerosol cans. However, the caps were not designed to be hung from a backpack, belt loop or the like.
US patent application publication 2008/0067182 disclosed caps that anchored on an aerosol can using both an inner and outer skirt. This system also had multiple internal stop walls. However, these caps were not designed as part of a carrier system, and in any event their means of attachment to the can was not sufficiently secure for some outdoor applications.
Hence, improvements are needed with respect to carriers for portable dispensers.